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MACOMB COUNTY — Closing parts of M-53 throughout this year’s construction season might mean detours or fewer open lanes, but it will extend the highway’s lifespan for years to come, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.
MDOT said it shut down southbound M-53 between M-59/Hall Road to 18 Mile Road March 4 for road repairs and bridge work. As a result, the ramps connecting to southbound M-53 are blocked off as well.
During a March 12 virtual meeting, MDOT construction engineer Adam Wayne said that portion of M-53 — within Sterling Heights and Utica — will get an asphalt overlay. Nine bridge areas in that stretch will also get attention, he said.
MDOT assistant construction engineer Kimberly McClain said the department expects the southbound work to last around three months and end around Memorial Day. Later in the summer, perhaps around Labor Day, northbound M-53 between 18 Mile and M-59 will close, and officials expect that work to last until around November.
To promote walkability and pedestrian safety, MDOT is also planning to add some new sidewalks and walkable pathways near M-53.
The Clinton River Road bridge that goes over M-53 will have its deck surface replaced, and part of that project will involve making it more traversable for pedestrians.
“Right now, it’s just a two-lane roadway with the bridge barriers,” Wayne explained. “We’re working with the city of Sterling Heights to actually provide a protective pedestrian walkway across that bridge so then pedestrians can be able to safely access the east and west sides over M-53, which leads into the Clinton River Road sidewalk.
“Part of the project, working with our local partners, is providing that sidewalk connection from 19 Mile across M-53 to Henry Ford II High School.”
MDOT said it expects the Clinton River Road work at M-53 to last around three months, from roughly late May to late August. During construction, that part of the road will be closed, McClain said.
In addition, MDOT will address sidewalk issues along M-59 by M-53, Wayne said.
“Right now, the sidewalk stops just west of M-53,” he said. “We’re filling in that gap, providing a crossing at the ramp and then accessing the sidewalk at the bridge.”
Closures and detours expected
Currently, while the southbound strip of M-53 is closed, MDOT established a detour route from westbound M-59 to southbound Mound Road, then to eastbound 18 Mile Road and finally to southbound M-53.
MDOT added that it would close northbound M-53 once construction begins there. In addition, the department said it will maintain but restrict vehicular traffic on other intersecting paths as needed, including 19 Mile Road, Canal Road and Utica Road.
“We can also expect some intermittent lane closures and traffic flagging on local roads on M-53 during this construction,” McClain said.
Detour routes will also be established for northbound M-53 and the nearby sidewalks — to avoid overhead bridge construction — once those projects take place, McClain said.
MDOT eyes M-53 work elsewhere
Wayne said significant M-53 work will happen in two additional spots this year. Crews will apply an asphalt overlay on the interchange ramps connecting M-53 to 23 Mile Road in Shelby Township. The ramps will be closed during off-peak hours, McClain said.
And work is scheduled to take place at a bridge along M-53 over Big Beaver Creek, just south of 14 Mile Road in Warren, sometime between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Wayne said.
“We will expect lane closures during that work,” he said, regarding the Warren project.
Wayne estimated the total cost of completing M-53 within Sterling Heights, Utica, Shelby Township and Warren at around $16.5 million. He explained that repairs should extend the bridges’ lives by around 10-20 years, and the asphalt overlay should extend the road’s life by around five to 10 years.
He said that while the road repairs aren’t a long-term fix, it’s a way to keep M-53 functioning while having limited funding.
“This type of project is intended to maintain and extend the roadway and bridge infrastructure within the limits, where we can plan longer term for when we do have to have a full reconstruction,” Wayne said.
Wayne said the construction work will “generally be during daytime hours” in Sterling Heights, and crews will generally work 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. Should factors — like heat negatively affecting wet concrete — require crews to work at night, MDOT will work with municipalities to get a noise ordinance waiver, he said.
McClain said those who want up-to-date lane closure details may visit michigan.gov/drive. Learn more about MDOT by visiting michigan.gov/mdot.
